Australia travelled thousands of miles from Lahore to Dubai on Saturday, in the knowledge that they face making the return journey on Monday, without playing a game in between.
The extraordinary arrangements were forced upon the Champions Trophy tournament organisers because of India being unable to travel to Pakistan, and being based in Dubai throughout the tournament. As such, the two semi-finalists from group B – Australia and almost certainly South Africa – will travel to Dubai after the pool stage in the knowledge that one of them will have to return to Pakistan for their semi-final.
In International Cricket Council events, the venues for teams qualifying for the semi-finals are traditionally determined by their position in the group stages. For instance, with the winner of group A meeting the runner-up in group B during the first semi-final. But India’s refusal to play in Pakistan has forced standard procedures to be abandoned for the Champions Trophy.
Regardless of whether they win their final pool match against New Zealand or lose, in a game that will determine who comes top of group A and who comes second, India are guaranteed to play the first Champions Trophy semi-final in Dubai on Tuesday. But, with the semi-finals pitting the winner of group A and runner-up in group B against each other and vice versa, the sides in group B will not know who meets India until after the conclusion of group A.
As such, either the winners or runners-up in group B will have to face India on Tuesday.
To avoid teams travelling to Dubai on Monday, ahead of a semi-final on Tuesday, the sides qualifying from group B instead made the journey to Dubai early, in the knowledge that the trip would be in vain for one. While Australia travelled from Lahore to Dubai during the day on Saturday – a three-hour flight – South Africa were set to fly to Dubai immediately after their match with England in Karachi on Saturday.
India have been based in Dubai throughout the competition, meaning that they are the only country who will not have to travel or switch hotels during the competition.
South Africa’s batsman Rassie van der Dussen is among those who have criticised the arrangements for favouring India.
“It’s definitely an advantage,” Van der Dussen said before the clash against England in Karachi. “I saw that Pakistan was commenting about it, but it’s definitely an advantage. If you can stay in one place, stay in one hotel, practice in the same facilities, play in the same stadium, on the same pitches every time, it’s definitely an advantage.
“I don’t think you have to be a rocket scientist to know that. The onus would be on them to use that advantage. In a sense, it puts more pressure on them because whoever is going to play them in the semi or potentially the final is going to go there and the conditions are going to be foreign, but they [India] are going to be used to it. The pressure would be on them to get it right because they have all that knowledge.”
On Monday, the day after the conclusion of India’s game with New Zealand, both New Zealand and the side they will then meet in the semi-final will travel to Lahore, which hosts the second semi-final on Wednesday. If they end up playing their semi-final in Lahore after all, Australia’s trip to Dubai would have been futile.
In the Champions Trophy, while all other nations have had to prepare a squad on the basis of playing both in Pakistan and potentially the United Arab Emirates, India have been the lone nation guaranteed to play all their games in the same venue, and have picked their squad accordingly. India picked five spinners in their squad, in anticipation of turning wickets in Dubai.
The unusual arrangements for the Champions Trophy semi-finals follow last year’s T20 World Cup. During that competition, India were guaranteed to play their semi-final in Guyana, regardless of where they finished in the preceding stage. While every other country had to prepare to play semi-finals at two potential venues, India could focus all their energy on planning for Guyana’s spinning conditions. They duly thrashed England in the semi-final.
